Child of God
by Joflower
Summary: ("Kami no Kodomo") Akito let Shigure love her... only to find herself 16 & pregnant. Can light be born of darkness? Or something much worse? More than anything, Hatori wanted to believe that the child was special. Surely, being the child of god meant something! (Rated M for mature content: steamy scenes, and dark themes - short prequel to "ShugoTenshi") Complete
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters within (Natsuki Takaya-sama does). I do, however, own the child of God, Akiten.

_**Kami no Kodomo**_

**Child of God**

**- Prologue -**

The delicate scent of cherry blossoms filled the air as a whisper of a breeze blew over Shigure's face. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as the wind gently titillated a set of tiny silver chimes nearby. He looked up at the budding tree above his head. His eyes grazed over the branches until he found what he was looking for—a cherry blossom on the cusp of blossoming. Mesmerized by the simplicity of the bud's blossom, he picked it carefully off the tree. It reminded him of Akito's fragile youth blooming into a young woman.

He walked up to the house behind the tree and spotted her sitting on the edge of the porch, just looking around at the winter disappearing and the spring reappearing. She smiled when she saw him approaching. She was in a good mood today, and that thought made Shigure all the happier to see her.

"Spring's coming early this year," he said when he reached her and stood in front of her. "See?" He took her hand and gently placed the tiny flower in her palm.

She blushed, somewhat shy with him. "Thank you Shigure."

She stood up and told him that she would go put it in some water. Shigure followed her into the house, admiring the way she walked in her comfortable yukata. He noticed the shape of her tiny waist under her obi and the curves of her maturing hips. He swallowed, and tried to shoo the perverted messages that coursed through his body.

"But she's… so beautiful…"

His eyes widened when he realized he had been thinking out loud and that she had heard him. His eyes met her surprised ones and they stared in silence at each other. Their cheeks glowed pink in the sunlit room before she looked away in embarrassment.

"I… I'm not beautiful…"

"Don't say that!" he found himself saying. He stepped toward her and took her smooth, pale chin in his fingertips, tilting it up so that her eyes would look into his. "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met."

Her rosy cheeks heightened a shade and he found the cherry redness of her lush lips so captivating he just had to touch them. Aching with desire, he briefly pressed his lips gently against hers before pulling her into a tight embrace in his arms. She stiffened in shock, breathing hard, but slowly relaxed against his chest. He inhaled her sweet, youthful fragrance, feeling all the more aroused by the rising and falling of her breasts against his chest as she breathed.

"I still stand by what I told you," Shigure whispered into Akito's ear. "My feelings will never change, my dear Akito; I will always love you."

"How… How can you be so sure?" she asked. The fluttering of her heart and the sudden ache she felt within confused her. The sensations were new and frightening all the same because she could not control them. She liked to be in control.

But the heat that was rising off him was undeniable and out of her control.

"Because I feel it," he took her hand and pressed it to his chest, "here."

The faint throbbing of his heart drummed against her palm. She suddenly became aware of the quickened pace of her own heart beating in her chest. His hot breath against her forehead drew her eyes back up to meet his. Her breath caught in her throat.

Was it possible? Could he actually love her?

He tilted her head up and brushed his lips upon hers.

All she wanted was to be loved.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** This (short) story begins three years prior to the anime taking place. If you found this to be too short, rest assured that the following chapters are much longer.


	2. Birthday Present

**AUTHOR'S NOTE **_(December 22, 2013) - _I couldn't remember/find the name of the older servant that works at the Sohma estate (the one that we see most often in the series), so I'm calling her "Mizuki" in this story. If you know her name, let me know and I'll correct it immediately. Thanks :)

Warning! Angst and hot stuff in this chapter!

_**Kami no Kodomo  
**_**Child of God**

**Chapter 1  
****Birthday Present**

Akito looked up into the night sky, to the twinkling stars above, and the third full moon to pass overhead since her last period. The cherry blossoms had all but vanished in the weeks to pass since she slept with Shigure—a reminder that all good things came to a bitter and cruel end.

For it was in the following weeks since that encounter, that he had grown cold and distant again. It was a reminder to her that love was, indeed, a fleeting emotion.

Her eyes brimmed with tears.

Her sixteenth birthday was tomorrow.

And she might be pregnant.

She would call Hatori. She knew that pregnancy was just a possibility. Nothing was certain. Yet.

But as she stared up into the night sky, unable to sleep, she knew, within her soul, that something was different.

A tear trickled down her cheek, shimmering in the moonlight that cascaded over her through the window.

She wanted him to love her. Was she that unlovable that even the dog turned his nose up at her after he shared her bed?

She wrapped her arms around her body and held herself tight.

She thought she could trust him. She liked him.

And now, she couldn't be sure.

…

Hatori paced back and forth outside her private bathroom. The pregnancy test was sitting on the porcelain counter next to her. She was sitting on the closed toilet lid with her knees drawn up and held tightly against her chest.

"It is time yet?" she asked him in a soft voice.

He stopped outside the open bathroom door and glanced at his watch. He heaved a sigh. "Close enough."

She released her knees and put her feet on the cool tile floor. She leaned toward the pregnancy test as Hatori stepped into the bathroom and lifted the test up at eye level before him. He closed his eyes and she watched as he drew his eyebrows together.

"I am going to kill him," he muttered slowly.

Akito's eyes widened as she jumped up from her seat and snatched the test strip from his hands. She studied it and glanced at the box it had come out of.

Positive.

Bile shot up her throat like a bad case of heartburn. She tried to swallow it down, unable to tear her eyes away from the test result.

Hatori leaned against the doorframe in stern, contemplative silence. No one spoke. He waited for her to say something, and when she didn't, he cleared his throat. She broke free of her spell and stared up at him with large eyes. "What should I do?" she asked in a small voice.

"When was the last time you had your menstrual cycle?" he asked calmly.

She scrunched her nose up at his formal reference, but answered, "About 12 weeks ago… I think."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Didn't you think it was odd when you first missed your menses?"

She looked down, but the truth was that her monthly cycle had always been incredibly irregular and unpredictable, so she never really kept track of it. She'd been moping around, silently fuming at Shigure's sudden indifference in her, that she never noticed the absence of her menses. Would he change if she told him she was pregnant with his child? Would he commit to her then? She had her doubts given the way he had been treating her as of late. The liar used her. That's all she was to him.

She clenched her eyes shut and exhaled sharply. "What should I do?" she repeated, more forcefully this time.

He rubbed his temple. "It may be too late now for an abortion," he mumbled.

"An abortion…" She chewed on the thought as she sat back down on the toilet.

Normally Hatori would be against abortions, but he worried about what was best for Akito. She was still much too young and had a lot of responsibilities to take care of in her not too distant future—not to mention that the majority of the Juunishi and the Sohma family believed her to be a male. Only he, Shigure, Ayame, and Kureno knew of her true gender. It was only a matter of time before the truth of her pregnancy would become very clear and obvious to anyone.

And then what would happen?

"Give me the abortion," she said suddenly.

He stared at her in alarm. She was sitting, hunched over on the toilet, staring at her hands. She looked so small and fragile. Indeed, she might be too weak to carry a child to term and then to give birth to the child. She could die…

But abortions were also risky to her health.

He would have to think about it.

When he didn't immediately agree, she got to her feet, her hands balled into tight fists. "I said give me the abortion!" she screamed.

He lowered his eyes and nodded slightly.

She stormed past him; her face hot, and the sting of bitter tears prickled her eyes.

This was all her fault. She let him have his way with her when she should have resisted, and now she had to take care of the consequences before anyone else could discover the truth. She couldn't let anyone know about this. No one, not even her own mother.

She went to the window on the other side of the room and peered outside. The morning sun was nearing the highest point in the sky and a few wisps of clouds tangled around it. The Juunishi members should be gathering in the main house soon in celebration of her sixteenth birthday, but she didn't feel like seeing anyone. With this news about her pregnancy, she just wanted to avoid them all—especially that dog.

"Do you need anything else, Akito-san?" Hatori asked from the doorway of the bathroom.

She turned only to give him an intense look as she murmured, "Not a word about this to anyone. Especially _him_."

He nodded before she waved him off.

"I'll see you at the luncheon."

She heard him leave and she could feel her anger begin to boil.

She was alone for all of ten minutes when one of the house servants entered to get her ready for the luncheon. It was a minute too long of her anger silently simmering within. She whirled at the young servant and barked, "Go away!"

"Ah, hai!" she replied fearfully. She quickly left.

But Akito found herself feeling even more infuriated. She grabbed the nearest object, which happened to be a small lamp, and threw it against the wall near the door, just as Mizuki entered, the oldest servant to serve the Sohma family.

Mizuki was tough as nails and didn't even flinch as the lamp smashed against the wall. Her eyes met Akito's. "Are you quite finished now?"

"Get out!" Akito screamed at her.

"Really, as the head of the Sohma family, is that anyway to treat your elders?"

"Get out!"

"Sounds like someone needs a lesson in manners."

Akito took a step back, but her glare never faltered. Mizuki was unfazed. "I'm not going out there," Akito declared. She didn't want to face them. Any of them. Her birthday luncheon was over as far as she was concerned.

"Everyone is here, Akito-sama. You wouldn't want to disappointment them now, would you?"

Akito saw her step toward the bathroom—where the test was still sitting. Her heart jumped at the realization. Hatori didn't take it with him?

Her attention diverted, she shouted, "Fine!" to the servant in hopes of her stopping her approach to the dreaded bathroom. "Get me a clean yukata! I won't go out there unless I'm properly dressed!"

Satisfied that she had accomplished her goal, Mizuki bowed slightly and left.

As soon as she was gone, Akito quickly ran into the bathroom and snatched the test and tucked it into her obi. Almost immediately, she decided that was a bad idea because Mizuki would come back and help her dress. Determined not to let anyone find the test, she hurried to her dresser and stuffed it under her underwear, just as Mizuki returned.

"Get out!" Akito ordered. "Don't you know how to knock? I'll call you in in a minute!" She wanted to make it look like Mizuki caught her trying to change her underwear—something she always demanded privacy for. The previous God figures may have asked for assistance in changing _all_ of their clothes, but undergarments were not one of them for Akito. She quickly changed her underwear and grabbed one of the many pieces of gauze that she used to wrap around her chest since her breasts started growing. She only did it when she was expecting guests. Otherwise, she didn't worry about it because the traditional clothes did a good enough job of concealing her assets. She quickly took off her light under robe and bound her chest with the gauze before slipping her robe back on and permitting Mizuki to enter again.

The woman seemed satisfied that Akito had calmed down and was cooperating now. She had no idea that it was because Akito was trying to hide something from her. She helped Akito into a royal blue yukata with silver trim and silver designs embroidered throughout before escorting her out of her room to the main house.

Just as Mizuki said, everyone was there, even little Kisa and Hiro, who were playing with plushies in front right corner with Momiji. Kyo was sulking in the left corner just next to the door Akito stepped through. Yuki, Haru and Rin were in the front left corner. The older cousins were sitting together in the middle of the room on cushions, chatting, while they waited for Akito to arrive.

They stared up at her when she entered. She swallowed, feeling panic begin to rise up from her belly. Would they know? Could they tell? She looked into each and every one of their faces and knew that she was panicking for nothing. Fear resonated from their expressions on the younger cousins as she looked down upon them.

"Happy birthday, Akito-san."

Why did it have to be the dog to greet her first?

Perhaps because he wasn't afraid of her like the others?

But she had never wanted him to be afraid of her.

Maybe she needed to change that. Remind him of his place, and hers above him.

Later. After she had taken care of the thing growing inside her.

The parasite had to be removed. Then she would deal with Shigure.

The gathering proved to be a quiet ordeal. No one really talking. No one really eating for that matter. They picked at the food placed before them and sipped at their tea, but no one was really indulging themselves in anything.

The luncheon was a bust. Of course it would be with her there. No one wanted to be near God. It had been Shigure's idea in the first place.

When it was over, Akito was glad to be alone in her room again.

_But I'm not truly alone right now, am I?_ she thought to herself, loosening her yukata's obi around her waist. She touched her stomach with the palm of her hand, but felt nothing. No movement. No fluttering. She hadn't even felt nauseous in the weeks that had passed. Nothing to trigger any thought of the possibility of her even being pregnant. Other than missing her period a few times, but who wouldn't if a girl's period was consistently irregular in the first place? There was still no physical indication of a baby growing within her. Her belly still looked smooth, but it was a different sort of firmness she felt underneath than what she was used to feeling. She'd be showing soon, she knew. In a few more weeks, it would be as clear as day that she was pregnant.

She couldn't let it get that far.

She sighed. _Another birthday come and gone, _she thought as she went to the window and stared out it. The clouds had gotten thicker and perhaps it might rain before night fell.

A gentle rapping at the door made her turn.

"May I come in, Akito-san?"

She didn't want to hear his voice, or see his head peer around the door.

Her heart jumped in her throat. She didn't know whether she should be angry at him or seek comfort in his arms. She didn't even know if she should tell him that she was pregnant with his child.

No, no of course she shouldn't tell him that. He might try to convince her to keep it. And then what?

He stepped in and she turned her back to him. She wrapped her arms around herself and clamped her eyes shut.

The ache in her heart gripped her so hard. Her chest felt tight, even more so with the bindings that concealed her womanhood. She could feel her eyes beginning to moisten. Why? Why did he have this affect on her? She hated it. She felt so weak.

"What's wrong Akito-san?" he asked.

She could hear his footsteps softly touch the floorboards as he approached her.

"Go away," she managed to mumble. _Just go away and leave me alone!_

"But Akito-san, I haven't given you my gift yet."

She felt his hand touch her shoulder and her knees buckled underneath her. He caught her by wrapping her in his arms, cradling her back against his chest. He nuzzled her neck affectionately. He whispered into her ear, "I miss moments like these, when we can be alone."

Her face grew hot and her breathing became haggard because of her bound chest. She needed more air and her lungs were incapable of expanding enough to meet her demands.

He could tell that she was struggling to breathe, so he reached into the opening of her yukata around her neck to the white robe underneath and began to untie it.

"Shigure," she croaked out as his hand stroked her despite the cloth between them. She could feel him tugging away at the material and she pulled away, only to completely undo the tie. The white robe fell open just enough to expose her bound chest.

_I knew it._ She could almost hear his thoughts as his eyes took in the bindings of the soft material against her chest. His hand reached for it, brushing against her pale skin just above her lowest rib bone.

"Don't," she pleaded, shielding herself with her arms. Her voice was so quiet, so frail sounding. She trembled under his touch as he grabbed both of her wrists and held them in one hand while reaching in with the other to loosen the cloth.

"I want you," he whispered, leaning in close, his breath hot against her ear, "to breathe freely."

He unhooked the pin that held the bindings together and she felt them slowly begin to loosen and unravel around her.

She found her strength and pulled away from him, tugging the yukata tightly around her. "Don't touch me," she sobbed. She clutched tightly to the silk, feeling her vulnerability unravel and slip out from under her.

"Don't you feel better now, Akito-san?" he asked.

She refused to answer. She didn't want to give him that satisfaction.

That didn't prevent him from reaching for the gift he brought her. He had set it down in the doorway when he entered. He brought it to her, wrapped in gold and silver paper. He presented it to her and waited, wordlessly, for her to accept it.

She didn't want to, but she couldn't say no to him with those big puppy dog eyes. He knew just how to get under her skin.

"May I?" he asked, seeing her still clinging to the yukata.

She could tell that he was excited to show her the gift he bought. He could barely contain himself. He offered to open it for her. She nodded and watched his hands gently pull away the silver and gold paper. A thin rectangular box was under the decorative paper and he opened it and pulled away the tissue paper inside. Akito's eyes widened when she saw him hold up a beautiful pink and white kimono with sakura blossoms decorating it with gold threading.

It was too beautiful for her. Too light and pure for a wretched person like her. What had he been thinking? She could never wear it. It would reveal her to be a woman, something she had concealed for much of her life, and would continue to hide until her dying days.

"Shigure," she whispered with a hint of conflict and sadness in her voice, "I can't wear this."

"Maa, maa," he replied, "I know what you are thinking, but this is for me."

She stared at him as he moved around her and gently pulled the yukata from her shoulders. He brushed his lips against her ear, causing her to shiver.

"I want to be the only one to see you in this," he murmured huskily.

She trembled as the yukata fell to the floor and he slipped the beautiful kimono on. She looked up into his eyes as he came around to straighten it on her slender frame. But when her eyes met his, she saw his desire, and it flooded over her like a tidal wave.

He reached inside to her white under robe, still loose underneath, and pulled her to him. His hands were hot against her cool, smooth skin and it left a burning sensation that spread throughout her, wherever he touched her. She gasped when his fingers grazed her sensitive breasts. She could feel his arousal and despite the screaming of her mind to push him away, she could feel herself yearning for more. More of him. Like last time.

He lowered his head to kiss her and she met him halfway. Wanting him. Desiring him. Needing him.

_One last chance,_ she vowed. This was his last chance to prove his love to her.

She prayed that this time would be different. This time, he would stay true.

He had to.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I seriously did not intend to have another spicy scene, but that's how it came out. *_fans herself_* Hope you enjoyed this chapter! From now on, things get angsty. Really angsty in the next chapter…


	3. Discovered

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** Ren is such a manipulative hypocrite… I would have updated sooner too, but FF has been on the fritz. Boo!

_**Kami no Kodomo  
**_**Child of God**

**Chapter 2  
****Discovered**

"WHAT IS THIS?"

Akito was in the middle of her morning lesson the day after her birthday when her mother stormed in, screaming. Akito didn't need to know what was wrong—she could see it in the woman's crazed eyes and the plastic test she gripped in her right hand. She had been rummaging through Akito's things… and found the pregnancy test.

"GET OUT OF HERE IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!" Ren shrieked to the private tutor.

The middle-aged woman didn't have to be told twice. She grabbed her bag of teaching supplies and ran out of the room.

"Hatori! Somebody called Hatori!" Akito cried out to anyone who might hear. The maids were never too far—someone had to hear her!

"YOU LITTLE WHORE!" Ren screeched, stumbling over Akito's book bag on the floor near the door. "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Akito hurried to her feet and fled. As her mother lunged at her, she managed to go around her and ran out the door, screaming for help. She could hear her mother not too far behind her, shrieking like a banshee. Akito ran outside into the hot summer air, her bare feet slapping against the smooth stone path. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that her mother was still trailing after her. Akito screamed for Hatori as she ran toward his house. She began to gasp for air and got a stitch in her side by the time she reached his house and he stepped outside. He took one look at Ren and his face instantly turned white as a ghost. He knew that she had found out the truth.

"Quick," he told Akito firmly. "Go inside."

Akito, wheezing, did as he commanded. She hurried into his house and locked the door behind her. She could hear her mother screaming all kinds of foul and hateful things while Hatori tried to calm her down. Exhaustion finally overcame Akito and she crumpled to the floor in a heap. And as her body began to wrack with sobs, it was then that she realized that her cheeks were already moist with tears.

She knew she was in trouble. She knew that she had made a mistake. She didn't need her mother finding out and making threats before Akito could have it taken care of.

_I'm not stupid—I can take care of it!_

But it was too late now. Her mother found out and she was ready to tear Akito apart for bringing such shame to her family. Akito would never hear the end of it from her mother—she knew.

She didn't know it then, but the feelings that had overcome her and made her tremble and cry were those of fear. Fear of what would happen with the abortion. Fear of what her mother would do to her if she had her way. Fear of what the rest of the Sohma family would think when they found out that the head of the family was a pregnant, sixteen-year-old _girl_. Fear of what the Juunishi would think of their God when they found out how _weak_ she was.

She had to get this parasite out of her. It was her only hope.

It took some time, but Hatori finally managed to calm Ren enough to invite her into his home without fear of her killing Akito with her bare hands.

That's not to say that Ren didn't look at Akito with complete and utter distain. She had never been particularly close with her daughter, a fact that she had made very clear to everyone. She didn't even want to speak to Akito now, she was so furious.

"I'm going to get an abortion," Akito stated simply to her mother as the three of them sat in chairs around Hatori's desk.

Hatori didn't say anything from his seat on the other side of the dark stained desk. His gaze moved steadily from Akito to Ren sitting on opposite ends of the desk with him in the middle. He wasn't sure if he should stay quiet and play referee or be an active participant in the discussion.

"An abortion?" her mother spat, her left eye twitching with rage despite her attempts of suppressing it. "You need parental consent for that. Don't think for a minute now that I'll agree to that!"

Akito stared at her in horror before turning to Hatori. "Tell her, Hatori! Tell her I need the abortion!"

He did not want to get in the middle of them. Furthermore, he did not want to give his opinion without that of a specialist first. He was still a medical student after all. "I think it would be wiser to consult a specialist rather than to jump right into a decision. But," he added cautiously, "your mother does have a point. Parental consent is necessary in order to undergo the procedure."

Akito felt betrayed. She wanted to scream, but she was too stunned to do even that. She just stared at him as he avoided eye contact with her. How could he do that to her? She needed him to back up her decision to get the abortion, not turn his back on her instead.

"A Sohma would never kill an unborn child," Ren went on indignantly. "But the important thing to bear in mind is that by undergoing an abortion, you would never learn from your mistake. We can't risk it happening a second time with all of your fooling around."

"Fooling around?" Akito shouted, her temperature beginning to rise with rage. Was she hearing her right? How dare she accuse her of such a thing! "Last time I checked, that was your speciality!"

"Oh don't you dare throw that in my face! How unbecoming?"

Akito held her tongue and clenched her hands tightly in fists in her lap, shaking in fury. She had to turn the discussion back in favour of her getting the abortion, not engage in a screaming match with her abhorrent mother. That would not work in her favour in the slightest. "But isn't it just as risky for someone my age to carry a child for 40 weeks and give birth to it?" Akito shot back between clenched teeth.

"That's a risk we'll have to take," her mother hissed.

"I think," Hatori piped up, "that the best thing to do right now is consult a specialist, get his opinion, and then make an informed decision. Akito makes a valid point regarding her age and physical capabilities, and we cannot risk the life of the head of the family."

He offered to make the consultation appointment for them since he had to go to the hospital then anyway for a class. Thus forced Akito and Ren to leave together and return to the main house.

"Don't you even want to know who the father is?" Akito asked as they walked across the gardens. She wiped her brow, the heat already reaching its peak for the day.

"Don't be a fool," her mother replied sharply. "The servants talk. I know the details of every visitor you have. Don't think I don't know who the father is. Luckily, only a couple of our most trustworthy servants know of this particular dilemma. Mizuki-san will now be your personal servant to respond to your every need before anyone else."

They returned to the main house, where Ren walked Akito to her room. Once Akito was inside, she could hear the faint voices of her mother and Mizuki outside, no doubt discussing what to do with her.

Naturally, Akito was grounded indefinitely and wasn't permitted any guests besides her mother, Mizuki and Hatori. Akito grew lonelier, longing for some companionship, or anyone to talk to her. Mizuki wasn't paid to entertain her, and with the age gap between them, it proved difficult to find anything in common even if Akito tried.

She went with her mother and Hatori to visit a specialist outside the Honke, but he determined that she ought to be strong enough to carry the baby to term, but also that she was, indeed, twelve weeks pregnant, and thus an abortion at this stage would be more risky to her health. Ren was thoroughly satisfied with his response, but Hatori remained quiet and pensive.

Akito was fuming. She didn't want _that thing_ inside her and she didn't want to carry it for twenty-eight more weeks. When the three of them returned to the Sohma estate, Akito was formulating her own plan.

If no one would give her the abortion, she would take the parasite out herself.

All she needed was a knife.

And the kitchen was full of them.

When night fell, and the servants had all gone to bed, Akito crept out of her room and glided silently across the wooden floors to the kitchen. Although she had gone to the kitchen many times in search of snacks, she wasn't familiar with the setup and where the servants stored things. She flicked the light switch on, but quickly changed her mind when she questioned the brightness of it if someone were to wake up and glance down the hallway. She settled on turning the light on above the sink. It wasn't nearly as bright as the main lights overhead, and she hoped it wouldn't catch anyone's attention.

She went about on her search now, carefully pulling open drawers, looking for the perfect knife. She found one that looked ideal for slicing open fish; it was thin, and the blade proved to be very sharp. She ran her finger over it gently and it sliced through her delicate skin without the slightest bit of pressure.

Satisfied, she took the knife and tucked it into her obi.

She slipped back to her room, keeping an eye out for anyone who might have stirred in the course of her midnight hunt. Closing the door behind her, she tiptoed warily into her room and walked into her private bathroom. She stepped up to the mirror over the sink and stared back at her reflection. Her face looked paler than usual, but determination was fixated in her grey eyes. She took the knife out of her obi and placed it next to the porcelain basin. From the drawer under the sink, she pulled out a little sewing kit she had found that afternoon. She ran the needle under some hot water, dried it, and then, with some difficulty, slid a thread through the hole at the end. She pulled out some red towels that she had heedfully snuck into her room and hid under the sink. She put one on the floor under her, another on the sink next to the basin, and the other on the lid of the toilet (just in case she needed it).

She looked over her operating station, ensuring that everything was ready to go. She put some gauze next to the towel on the sink and took a deep breath.

She stripped out of her nightclothes and hung them on the hooks behind the bathroom door. Her eyes examined her body's reflection in the mirror. Her breasts were growing as a result of the pregnancy, giving them a fuller, more desirable appeal. Her stomach, although appearing normal, looked like it was starting to grow (or maybe that was simply a trick of her mind?). As she stared at her reflection, it began to dawn on her. Her actions would be irreversible in the end.

_But it has to go!_ Akito reminded herself. The parasite had to come out, and if Hatori or the experts wouldn't do it, _she had to._

She picked the knife up and ran it under some hot water. She wiped the water off the blade on the towel and held it over her stomach.

Her throat closed up and she could feel her heart beat quicken. Sweat began to form on her brow as she looked at her stomach in the mirror, the blade just centimetres away from her skin.

_Do it, _she told herself._ You have to do it!_

_It's the only way!_

Her hands began to tremble as Shigure appeared in her mind, holding her naked body to his, his kisses trailing over her shoulders and down her breasts. The touch of his hands on her hips. How he intoxicated her…

It had all been for him.

Because she loved him.

But did he love her back?

Tears filled her eyes. She grazed the knife across her stomach lightly, marking the path she would make as it drew a thin red line of blood.

She tried to swallow, but couldn't.

_I'm sorry,_ she told the child inside her.

She poised the knife over her starting line and was about to press down when the bathroom door swung open.

She whirled around, brandishing the knife at the intruder and her eyes widened in horror.

"Ku-Kureno?" she gasped.

He had heard her moving around the house and decided to check up on her. He had not expected to find her like this.

He stared back at her in horror, immediately grabbing her hand with the knife and thrusting it away from her. He gripped her hand against the wall as she struggled to fight him off, to no avail.

"What are you doing?" he demanded urgently in a whisper, looking at the red line of blood across her stomach.

"Kureno, I… I…" she stammered, feeling herself shake under his strong grasp as the blood raced from her head. She suddenly felt dizzy and she wavered.

He took the knife from her then and tried to hold her up with his other hand.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" he demanded under his breath, taking in the scene around him—especially the needle and thread.

"No," she began to sob then as she collapsed onto him, quivering all over. "I don't want it! I want it out!"

He put the knife down on the towel next to the sink and lifted her into his arms. He didn't know what she had been thinking, but he knew better than to question her in that moment. And he knew that he could not leave her alone now.

He carried her to her bed and gently placed her down. She immediately curled into a ball, shaking with sobs. He went back to the bathroom, looking for bandages to wrap up her cut, and saw that she had already placed some aside. He stared back at her quivering, naked form, clinging desperately to herself from some unknown tormentor. He tried to put the pieces together in his mind as he returned to her and asked her to sit up so he could wrap the gauze around her. She complied without protest. When he had finished, she gripped the sleeve of his nightclothes, her gaze on the floor.

"Don't leave me. Please," she begged in a barely audible whisper.

Completely bewildered by her request, he stared at her, still shivering in her vulnerability. He'd never seen this side of her before, except when her father died.

He agreed without a word, and wrapped her thin summer blankets around her. He lay down on his back a few inches from her, but she snuggled in close and rested her head on his arm.

He wondered what kind of thoughts had been corrupting her mind as he observed her fall asleep in peace next to him. He watched in painful silence as his former god clung to the only person to save her from herself.

And he knew that he could never leave her again.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** Honestly, it breaks my heart to call my little _tenshi_ a parasite, but that's how I would imagine Akito to view the baby given her situation… T.T

By the way, I in NO WAY promote Akito's thoughts and actions in this chapter (a caesarean abortion?). I know that people are driven to extreme measures in situations like these, and by writing it, I am not saying that I approve of it. I am writing it based on how I believe Akito would deal with it. I have my beliefs, and Akito has hers. Let's try and remain true to her character, shall we? Thank you.


	4. Hanging by a Thread

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** As we will see in this chapter, with the passage of time and Akito's pregnancy underway, she not only withdraws into herself, but she withdraws from the telling of the story as well, lol. It becomes more Hatori-centred in the next couple of chapters.

_**Kami no Kodomo  
**_**Child of God**

**Chapter 3  
****Hanging by a Thread**

It wasn't long before rumours began to spread among the servants about Akito sleeping with Kureno. Kureno assured Hatori, Ren and Mizuki that nothing happened between them—only that he kept her from hurting herself. He expressed his concern about her perhaps attempting to harm herself again and that maybe he should stay by her side to prevent it. The two women didn't approve, but Hatori, being the level-headed one of the group, concurred with Kureno. He knew Kureno had no shameful, indecent thoughts regarding Akito, and that Kureno's selflessness might be just the ticket Akito needed to get through this pregnancy.

"Fine, whatever," Ren snapped, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "But when she starts _really_ showing, we need to conceal her from everyone."

They agreed, but Hatori feared to what extreme must they conceal her?

In the weeks to pass, and Akito's pregnancy became increasingly obvious, he found his answer.

"The cat's cage is unoccupied," Mizuki stated simply. "No one goes there and no one would see her there. I'll bring her her meals and the rest is between us. No one will know."

Ren liked the idea. But Ren was also looking for ways to punish her daughter for her actions any way she could.

Kureno and Hatori disagreed, calling the idea inhumane and cruel.

"She's pregnant, and should be comfortable," Hatori said. "The cat's cage is cold and isolated—in no way designed to accommodate a pregnant woman."

"Do you have a better idea?" Ren jeered.

So it was decided. God would live in the cat's cage until the child was born.

At first, Akito put up a struggle, but in the days to pass, her mood swings swung into the dark and dreary realms. Her hormonal fluctuations and isolation made her depressed and all the more spiteful with her words, since her physical state was exhausted.

Her sleeping schedule was in disarray, and because she was locked up with no objects with which she could harm herself, they saw no need for Kureno to remain by her side at night. He tried at first, but she was so angry to be forced to live in the cat's cage that she chased him away, throwing hateful words in his face about abandonment.

She spent many nights staring up at the stars that twinkled between the branches on the tree that concealed the shack from the rest of the houses on the estate. She watched as the leaves turned from green to yellow to red and fell to the ground as the autumn rain pelted down.

She wished the parasite would die within her. She ate very little. She was consistently dehydrated and exhausted.

Her mother didn't visit her. Kureno came a few times, but she always chased him away with her hateful words. Hatori came to check up on her almost daily. He noted her sunken cheeks, the bags under her eyes, her hips protruding out on both sides of her rather small, but growing, stomach.

"Akito-san," he told her calmly, with a hint of warning, "if you don't take better care of yourself now, you might permanently damage your health for the rest of your life."

She ignored him. "Take the _parasite_ out and I'll eat."

He hated to see her doing this to herself and the child she carried. He knew that she and Shigure had been reckless, but why torment yourself when this should be a blissful and happy time in a woman's life? Why risk the life of a perfectly innocent and harmless child that had no reason to suffer?

He feared for the child, both now and in the future. If Akito gave birth to a child and the child survived, what would they do with the child? Who would raise it? No one wanted to discuss this matter and Akito was getting closer and closer to her due date in the New Year.

As much as his thoughts were plagued by Akito and her encroaching due date, he still had exams to write. He had his own life to attend to and he could not put it on hold to worry about Akito's wellbeing.

He also struggled to keep this secret from his best friend, Shigure, who at first had been quizzical about Akito's whereabouts and lack of visitation permits. Why had she not requested a visit from him?

Mizuki made a lewd comment, while serving Shigure and Hatori tea one warm September afternoon, suggesting that Shigure and Akito's intimate relationship end and that Ren would not permit such visits to take place between Akito and Shigure until Akito was older.

The suggestion arched Shigure's eyebrow in question at Hatori, but Hatori just cleared his throat and drank his tea.

But Shigure had backed off then. And Hatori was grateful for that, as it was one less thing for him to worry about.

And so Akito remained alone with just her tainted thoughts rotting her mind, as she watched the world fly by outside the cat's cage.

Secretly, she had hoped Shigure would come looking for her and tell her everything would be okay, and he would hold her and stroke her hair. However, as the days turned to weeks, and weeks into months, her daydreaming turned sour. She starting thinking about all the nasty things she would say to Shigure if he ever showed his face.

_He deserves it. He did this to me. He made me weak. I'll make him pay. I'll make them all pay for doing this to me. I'm God! How dare they?_

_And this parasite inside me… It'll pay too. This shouldn't have happened to me. It shouldn't exist!_

_I'll make it disappear. I'll make it wish it had never been born!_

She stewed in her anger, delirious to what was going on around her and falling deeper and deeper into a sea of darkness, allowing the monsters in the shadows to swallow her heart and soul.

Mizuki found her unconscious and barely breathing one day in early October. She immediately called Hatori. He left in the middle of one of his medical exams and hurried home to check on her.

Akito was starved of nutrients because of her refusal to eat. He knew that she had been refusing food, and now it had taken its toll on her. He ordered Mizuki to bring him vitamins—every vitamin bottle that she could find in the house—water, and fresh miso soup.

Mizuki hurried into the main house as Hatori held Akito's fragile body to him. She felt cold in his arms. He reached for her blankets and wrapped them around his shoulders as he cradled her like a child.

"Akito, can you hear me?" he asked calmly, although on the inside he was trembling with fear. He prayed that it wasn't too late. He prayed that he could correct it without Akito knowing. She seemed bent on self-destruction, and he couldn't allow that to happen. He had to get the nutrients she needed without her being aware of it. Right now, he didn't have anything strong enough or effective enough, but he prayed that whatever Mizuki could find would be enough for now.

She didn't stir, but he noted her eyelids flutter a little at the sound of his voice.

"That's right," he told her. "It's me, Hatori. Stay with me now. Listen to my voice. Listen to me."

He brushed her hair from her face and whispered into her ear. "You have to stop this. You have to stop starving yourself. Don't worry about the baby, worry about yourself. You won't survive if you keep this up. You can't kill yourself in order to kill the baby. You can't. You won't because I won't let you. I won't let you do that. Do you hear me?"

Mizuki returned then with water, miso soup and an assortment of pills and capsules of all sizes and various colours from white to yellow to orange to green and black. He asked for a mortar and pestle and a syringe.

"A syringe? Where am I going to get one of those?" she declared in bewilderment.

"A bottle, a sippy-cup, a straw—whatever! She can't drink from a glass!" he demanded, more forcefully than was his usual tone.

She went off in search of the objects and, with Akito lying on his lap, Hatori reached for the capsules. He squeezed and twisted the outer shell and spilled the contents into the water. When all that was left were a couple of tablets, Mizuki returned. He quickly grinded up the tablets and added them to the water. All she could find was a straw, so he stirred the vitamin-water to blend it. He covered the top end of the straw with his thumb, while the bottom end was still in the water, thus trapping some of the liquid in the straw. He lifted the straw to Akito's lips and let it dribble down her throat.

She swallowed reflexively. Survival instincts kicking in now, her body responded to what it needed while her mind was still locked in darkness.

He kept dribbling water down her throat until it was nearly gone. Her eyebrows were drawing together as she starting returning to a semi-conscious level. No doubt the vitamins made the water taste awful, but she needed both. He switched to the miso soup then, which was now lukewarm, and repeated the procedure with the straw there, bringing broth to her lips and letting gravity run its course. Her forehead smoothed then as the pleasant flavour ran over her tongue. A peaceful look enveloped her facial features as the colour in her cheeks slowly returned and the soup slowly disappeared from the bowl.

Hatori collapsed then, holding her to him as the worst had passed, and allowed himself to cry softly into her hair. His conviction to be a doctor grew tenfold then. He vowed to always look after Akito's health, no matter how hateful her words were, no matter how severe her actions were—she needed him, and he needed her.

"I promise," he whispered to her sleeping face. "No matter what happens. Please…"

_Please, just survive!_

…

Kureno and Hatori took turns with Akito then. Both of them were still in school, Hatori with just a couple of years left of medical school, and Kureno with just another year and a half left of university. Whenever they weren't in class (or Hatori working on his case studies in the hospital), they would spend their waking moments with Akito. In her weakened, malnourished state, all she did was sleep now, which allowed them plenty of quiet time for studying. She was too exhausted to argue or struggle anymore. She just slept, and when she wasn't sleeping, she was being force-fed various soups, horrible tasting "health drinks" and lots of water. In her moments of wakefulness, she stared off into space, never engaging in conversation or moving.

Kureno resumed his position by her side at night, but she never snuggled close with him again. She had given up the struggle and now was just letting time run its course. She was still angry at them for putting her in the cat's cage, and thus refused to talk to any of them, but silence was better than her verbal lashings.

November came and passed and Akito's stomach grew larger and larger. Soon it was the Christmas season and everyone was in festive spirits on the estate. The younger Sohma cousins were excited as the first snow fell on Christmas Eve and Shigure, Ayame and Hatori got together for a little drink at the bar.

Hatori's last exam before the holidays had been the evening before and Shigure insisted that they go out for drinks to celebrate.

"We haven't spent any time with you in the last couple of months because you've been studying so hard, Haa-san," Shigure said animatedly. There was a hint of slur in his speech, as he had had a few drinks. "Why, Aya and I have had to come up with our own devices to entertain ourselves!"

_No thanks to you,_ Hatori thought to himself bitterly. If it hadn't been for Shigure's recklessness, he might have had a little more free time to enjoy himself instead of working on his studies and caring for Akito from sunrise to sunset.

"Tori-san will make an excellent doctor! So smart and dedicated, he is. And most kind!" Ayame gushed enthusiastically, raising his bright red cocktail into the air. "And most deserving of our Christmas present!"

"Christmas present?" He hadn't thought about Christmas presents at all. They didn't normally exchange gifts, but rather went out and did things together. Last year they went skiing in Gunma, the year before a theatrical performance, the year before that, a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, and the years before that since the start of high school they went to one of the Sohma cottages. Come to think of it, he'd been so busy, they hadn't even discussed what they were going to do this year. He'd been so wrapped up in his studies and in Akito's health that he forgot all about Christmas. Akito's due date was January 20th—he just wanted her to make it to the New Year. He worried that if the child was born early, it would be premature because of the lack of care her mother gave herself. The closer to the due date, the better.

But he could share none of his worries with his friends—especially the father of the child because Akito forbade him from telling even him. Nor was it his place to do so. Akito should tell him. But the future of the child still remained uncertain, so even he wasn't sure if or when Akito would tell Shigure.

Hatori looked away from their gazes and to the floor beneath him. Whatever gift they had given him, he felt undeserving of because of the deep, dark secret he harboured inside. Guilt washed over him. And pity. The fact that his friends had been thinking about him further added to his inability to look at them because he had been so consumed with his own personal life that he didn't have time to even call them.

He felt a distance between them that he hadn't felt before, and it worried him. He didn't like it. Secrets were terrible things to keep from best friends.

Shigure whipped out something from his robe and held it out to Hatori. "Merry Christmas, Haa-san," he said with Ayame chiming in.

Hatori reluctantly took the envelope (decorated with Christmas trees, holly and jingle bells) and pulled out the contents. It was a paid 4-nights stay at a luxury hot springs and spa in Ibaraki. He stared at it with wide eyes—dated January 3, just days after New Years and right before his classes started up again.

He swallowed. What if Akito went into labour then? He couldn't leave her. He promised to stay close by until she gave birth. But he couldn't tell Shigure and Ayame either.

Ayame began to babble about the trip, describing all the things the onsen had to offer, what the three of them would do there, massages, facials—he kept listing them off, but Hatori wasn't even listening. All he could think about was how he needed to be there for Akito and how he would break it to them that he couldn't go with them.

Just then his cell phone began to ring. From the main house.

His eyes widened. _Akito?_

He flipped his phone open and held it to his ears. "Yes?"

It was Mizuki. _"Kureno called me at once,"_ she stated blatantly.

"_Akito's gone into labour."_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** Oh man! Here it comes! Ren didn't even have the decency to call him! Hahaha! The struggles Hatori and Kureno faced in this chapter and the previous one help to underline the original Fruits Basket story too and their dedication to Akito. It's all carefully planned…


	5. A Christmas Miracle

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** Cheesy chapter title, but I'm sure Hatori and Kureno would agree with me that it is appropriate, hehe.

_**Kami no Kodomo  
**_**Child of God**

**Chapter 4  
****A Christmas Miracle**

Hatori quickly excused himself. He didn't even offer an explanation, just that he had an emergency that he needed to attend to.

He hurried out of the bar and went to his car. He was the designated driver for the three since he didn't drink. Shigure and Ayame would have to take a taxi home. He sent a mental apology as he reached his car, hoping that his friends would understand.

The time in the car read 10:49pm. He'd been in there longer than he thought.

But his best friends didn't matter right now. Akito was in labour.

_She isn't ready!_ His mind raced as he shifted the car into gear and pulled out of the parking lot. The light dusting of snow and his sudden acceleration made his tires skid a little; a reminder that he had to get there in one piece himself.

_She's four weeks early—it's too soon!_

He prayed there would be no complications, but he was prepared to rush Akito to the hospital if need be. She was still incredibly weak and frail, but her health was much better than it had been since October. She still looked too small to be 36 weeks pregnant. He prayed the baby would be okay.

He prayed the entire drive home.

He parked his car in front of the main house and ran around to the back where the cat's cage was. If he didn't know the area like the back of his hand now, he probably never would have found it in the pitch-blackness that blanketed this end of the estate. A groan of pain rumbled through the still air ahead of him. He knew it belonged to Akito. He pushed himself faster through the last few metres towards the glow of the lamp within the window of the isolated cage.

He pulled the door open and hurried to Akito's side. She was leaning against Kureno, his arms locked around her chest and his legs wrapped around hers, holding them wide open.

"How far apart are the contractions?" he asked Kureno as he crouched down next to Akito and took her pulse. It was fast—much faster than he had felt from her in a long time.

"I don't know, a few minutes?" Kureno replied, relaxing a little as her pain from the contraction she had subsided a little.

Her brow was covered in sweat and she looked exhausted. Her gaze was downcast. She wasn't even trying. She was just taking the pain as it came.

Mizuki appeared then with a small basin of warm water as Hatori felt Akito's stomach. "Where's Ren?" he asked as he gently pressed down on her abdomen.

"Ren-sama said to call her when the child was born. She doesn't want to see all the blood because it makes her light-headed," the older woman replied stoically. She was always so apathetic! This was an emergency situation!

_Unbelievable,_ he thought. But his hands did not like what they were finding. The child wasn't in the right position. He cursed under his breath. "It's breeched. We have to take her to the hospital."

"No!" Akito snapped, pulling her arm free from Kureno's grasp and held her stomach with it. "I won't go to a hospital!"

"Akito," Hatori exclaimed in alarm, "if we don't take you to the hospital, then you will be unable to push the child out. You'll kill yourself!"

"So be it," she mumbled.

"You stubborn—" he cut himself off and grabbed her shoulder with his hand. "We are taking you to the hospital right now. Come on Kureno."

Kureno nodded and grabbed her around her chest again while Hatori reached for her legs.

"What? No! I forbid you from taking me to the hospital! I don't want this thing! I want to die! _Let me die, goddammit_!"

She was so light, the two men barely struggled to lift her weight, but her thrashing around was another matter.

He couldn't tell her how ridiculous she was being. He understood. She had given up on living. Those weeks of quiet thought, she had actually spent them in preparation for death. She knew she wouldn't survive in the end on her own. She had accepted it. She was welcoming it now.

He and Kureno managed to get her to the car (which took a few minutes with all of her flailing about), just in time for her to have another contraction. As they held her down while she groaned in agony, Hatori turned to Kureno. "Her contractions must be about five or six minutes apart. When did she start having them?"

"I don't know," he confessed. "I think she was having them a few hours ago, but all she did then was grunt, so I thought she was just in a bad mood or something. She had two really big ones, where she actually cried out in pain, and that's when I called you."

"Dammit," Hatori muttered under his breath as he glanced at Akito from the corner of his eye. "Why have you been hiding it from us?"

Akito collapsed in the back seat as the contraction passed. She refused to answer, causing him to curse under his breath again. He commanded Kureno to get into the back seat with Akito and they quickly sped off to the nearest hospital (which happened to be the one he did his case studies at).

He pulled up to the emergency doors and told Kureno to get Akito ready while he grabbed a wheelchair. He knew where they were so no time was wasted in searching for them.

Once he had Akito sitting in the chair, she started having her fourth contraction since he got her in the car. This one must have been four or five minutes after the one before. He noted that they were getting longer and were closer together. He glanced at the clock on the wall as he quickly wheeled Akito into the building. It was almost quarter to midnight. He recognized the staff and two nurses immediately hurried to him, recognizing him as well.

"My cousin is in pre-term labour. Contractions are now about four or five minutes apart. Baby is breeched," he explained as they hurried down the hall.

"How many centimetres dilated?" one of the nurses asked while the other went ahead in search of a doctor.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I was called in and immediately noted that the baby was breeched. She's too young and her pelvis is underdeveloped for vaginal delivery as it is."

"Caesarean is necessary then."

"Exactly."

Akito began groaning more then as they pulled her into a room. The nurse opened one of the cupboards and pulled out a vial and needle.

"Ha-Hatori," Akito moaned weakly. "Kill me. Please. I-I command you."

He ignored her, holding her down as the nurse gave Akito the injection.

Akito began to relax a little as Hatori and the nurse lifted her onto the stretcher in the room. The nurse propped up Akito's legs and lifted her robes to peer inside.

She shook her head at Hatori before standing up. "She needs a caesarean immediately."

Hatori brushed his hair out of his face and nodded. He was terribly worried. He went to Akito's side when she started having another contraction and held her hand in her rather tight grip. Good, she had some strength in her after all.

About five minutes later, a doctor appeared, assessed the situation in about thirty seconds, and they all wheeled Akito out of the room and down the hallway to an operating room to perform the immediate caesarean.

Hatori waited in the hallway, pacing back and forth. About ten minutes later, Kureno appeared and joined his side. He had parked the car and asked Hatori for an update. Hatori closed his eyes tiredly and leaned against the wall for support. He knew what was taking place behind those walls. He was picturing his god on the operating table, blanketed in a blue plastic sheet while her stomach remained uncovered, sliced open, as they pulled out the child.

A shrill cry cut through the silence: the cry of a newborn.

Hatori and Kureno sighed with relief in unison. The child was alive and healthy enough to cry on its own. Hatori glanced at his watch. Two minutes after midnight, Christmas Day. Even though it was cliché, he couldn't help but think that it was a Christmas miracle.

They relaxed on a pair of chairs a few metres down the hall. Exhaustion was slowly creeping up on them, but they couldn't help but feel a little bit curious about the baby's gender. Hatori was more worried than Kureno about the baby's health because he understood human biology at a much higher degree. Akito neglected her health in the middle of her pregnancy to an extreme level. Would the child have any sort of developmental problems as a result?

His worried thoughts were interrupted five or ten minutes later when a nurse came out, carrying a buddle of white blankets in her arms.

Hatori and Kureno immediately got to their feet and hurried over to the woman.

"Who's the father?" she asked with a smile on her face.

Hatori's heart skipped a beat. The father wasn't here. The father didn't even know! What should he tell her? The truth?

"I am," Kureno announced.

Hatori stared at him in shock as the woman handed the baby to him. _What-What did he just say?_ Before any more bewildered thoughts filled his head, she interrupted them, saying, "Congratulations sir. You have a beautiful daughter."

Kureno's face lit up as he peered into the blankets. "A girl!" he exclaimed as Hatori peered at her over Kureno's shoulder to see her better. "She looks just like her mother!"

_Well of course she wouldn't look like you,_ Hatori couldn't help but think to himself because he knew Kureno was just pretending to be the child's father so things wouldn't be awkward with the nurse.

But why wasn't he transforming? Hatori knew Kureno was a member of the Zodiac, and holding the child should have resulted in him transforming into a sparrow. How could that be?

He didn't know if he should risk holding her, but he didn't ask and Kureno didn't offer. She looked small; he guessed about two kilograms. He reverted back to doctor-in-training mode, asking questions about the child's health and weight.

"She is a little under-developed because she was born prematurely, but she appears to be strong and should pull through. It's best that she stay in the hospital for a few days, or weeks, until it's deemed safe for her to go home," the nurse explained.

Hatori nodded, and asked about Akito. Akito apparently did really well. Soon they would be taking her to a private room where she could rest; the surgeon was still sewing her up.

She took the baby then and asked the men to report to the nurses' station when they were ready to fill out the required paperwork. The staff understood if Kureno and Hatori needed a moment to take everything in because of the rushed delivery.

The two men nodded and went to a quiet sitting area, where they carefully sat down, their minds racing a mile a minute.

Akito had a daughter. _God_ had a _child_. Hatori had never heard of former god-figures of the Juunishi ever having children. He didn't know what to make of it. Was it possible? Or was it a miracle?

And why didn't Kureno transform? Was she somehow related to the Juunishi because she was God's daughter? Was it possible?

"Hatori-san…" Kureno said suddenly, clearing his throat. Was he nervous or something? "I'm not the father."

Hatori tried not to roll his eyes. "I know that."

"Also… I know you must be wondering why… why…"

Hatori studied him carefully. Kureno pursed his lips, looking uncertain. "Why you didn't transform?" Hatori finished in a whisper.

Kureno nodded. Hatori was about to provide his theory when Kureno said, "I'm free. I've been free for about seven years now."

Hatori's eyes widened. Of all things considered, he never expected to hear that. "H-How?" he asked incredulously. "Does Akito know?"

"Of course she knows," he replied softly, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, and hung his head. "That's why she always keeps me close by."

Hatori didn't know what to think then. Should he be happy for Kureno? Or sad that the child wasn't somehow related to the bond they shared, and thus, he would never be able to hold her? His heart grew heavy with that last thought.

He needed to go for a walk. A walk would help him to clear his mind.

He excused himself, but Kureno understood. Kureno said he'd get started on Akito's paperwork while Hatori went to clear his head.

The hospital was quiet after midnight and nearly deserted. Christmas decorations lined the hallways to give the cold hospital a warmer feeling. He came upon a Christmas tree decorated with lights and little ribbons tied to the branches. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that each ribbon was actually a prayer.

_Please help my baby sister get better!_

_Grant my father-in-law good health._

_I just want to be home with my family for Christmas._

Hatori felt tears come to his eyes suddenly. Fresh air—that's what he needed.

He found an unlocked door and stepped out into the night. The snow was still falling in light flakes and blanketing the earth in shimmering crystals in the lamplight.

There was another man standing outside with him. Hatori didn't notice him at first, as he closed his eyes and drew in the icy cold air into his lungs. As he exhaled, his breath but a faint mist that dispersed before him, he heard the soft crunch of salt beneath a boot.

"Looks like you could use one of these."

Hatori glanced over his shoulder and saw the man, cloaked in white, holding out a cigarette. Hatori couldn't make out his face beneath his hood, but from the sound of his voice and his slightly hunched stature, he guessed the stranger to be an old man. He wasn't in the habit of smoking, knowing the harmful effects of tobacco on the lungs, but he felt an unusual inclination to accept one from this stranger. He nodded his head curtly and accepted the white stick from his gloved fingers.

He lifted it to his lips with trembling fingers as the man stepped toward him and lit it as Hatori inhaled deeply. He closed his eyes as he exhaled. "Thank you," he said to the stranger.

"I saw you rush in with the young woman," he said softly to Hatori. The tip of his cigarette glowed as he inhaled.

Hatori glimpsed the smooth skin around the stranger's lips before the light from the cigarette dissipated and the stranger lowered his face in the darkness.

"That was a close call, wasn't it?"

Hatori inhaled as he studied the man. He felt the numbing effects of the tobacco on his senses and he closed his eyes, relaxing a little as he exhaled. _If she would just listen to me in the first place…_ he thought to himself. He shuck the thought from his mind, knowing fully well that he had no more control over Akito's actions than she did over the breeched baby and her preterm labour. Still, maybe if she had taken better care of her health, the preterm labour wouldn't have happened.

"All things happen for a reason."

Hatori turned and stared at the man, who was looking up at the sky. In the pale glow of the light above, Hatori saw that his face was smooth, soft and slightly feminine: the face of a young man. His eyebrows and eyelashes shone silver in the light that reflected in his unusually bright and vivacious eyes. It was then that Hatori noticed it had suddenly stopped snowing. He followed the man's gaze and looked up to the sky. The clouds were dispersing, revealing a single star shining brightly overhead.

_All things happen for a reason?_

God gave birth to a child.

The dog didn't know.

The rooster was free.

And the secrets were all there, bearing down on him, filling his mind, and constricting his heart.

More than anything, he wanted to believe that the child was special. He wanted to be able to hold her. He wanted to believe that there would be hope for him and the rest of the Juunishi.

_Because she was the child of God._

Surely… Surely that would mean something!

It had to. He wanted to believe it.

He lowered his gaze, but the man was gone. He looked about him in confusion. He didn't hear the man leave, and there were also no footprints in the dusting of snow underneath him, except his own. He exhaled a shaky breath, the cigarette falling from his lips.

_All things happen for a reason?_

There was only one way to find out.

A sudden urgency overcame him and he hurried back inside and found Kureno filling out the last of the paperwork at the nurses' station. There was a different nurse sitting at the desk, but he recognized her as well and she smiled up at him.

"I'm sorry, but I never got to hold my cousin's daughter. Do you might if I get to hold her for a little bit?"

Kureno stared at him. Hatori knew what thoughts were filling his mind because he could see them in his eyes. He was scared, but there was a tiny hint of curiosity. He knew Hatori didn't take risks when it came to his curse. Why now?

"Of course, Sohma-san," the nurse replied cheerfully.

"I'll come too," Kureno said, his eyes still fixated on Hatori's. "I want to see my daughter again."

Hatori gave him a slight nod in appreciation. Just in case his hopes were dashed, Kureno would be there to catch the child for him.

They followed the nurse down the hallway and entered a door that held four incubators with premature babies. There was another nurse stationed there to keep an eye on the premature babies and the full-term babies in the adjacent room. Hatori recognized her too because he had spent more time in the maternity ward over the last few months to help prepare himself for Akito's impending delivery.

"It's good to see you again, Sohma-san," she said. "What brings you here so late at night?"

Hatori explained the situation to her and she congratulated him and Kureno. She showed them the incubator with Akito's child, and then excused herself when she heard a cry from the adjacent room.

Alone now, Hatori held his breath as he tried to conceal his anxious trembling as Kureno reached into the incubator and pulled out the small child, carefully tucking the blanket more securely around her.

She wrinkled her face, not appreciating the disturbance, but Hatori noted that Kureno was right. She did look like her mother.

Kureno swallowed as he held the child out to Hatori. Hatori said a silent prayer in his head as he reached for the child. Kureno held onto her as Hatori wrapped her in his arms.

And nothing happened.

Their eyes widened as Hatori held her in his arms.

"How is this possible?" Kureno uttered at last.

Even Hatori was too stunned to speak.

Could it be?

Could the child of God be special after all?

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** I know Hatori is seen smoking in the manga, but we don't know when this unhealthy habit started. So I figured he did it socially with Shigure when they finished high school, and then when Kana left, that's when it became more habitual. So with that in mind, I decided he didn't carry cigarettes with him regularly at this point in time, and would need someone to hand him one…

My short prequel is almost over... Only one more chapter left and then the epilogue. I hope you are enjoying the story so far and that your hearts are opening up to my little OC, Akiten. Her story takes place 13 years later in "ShugoTenshi" (found on my profile page).

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	6. Tenshi

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** Final chapter before the Epilogue! Sorry for the delay! Enjoy!

_**Kami no Kodomo  
**_**Child of God**

**Chapter 5  
****Tenshi**

Akito wanted nothing to do with the child after she recovered from the caesarean. That did not surprise Hatori at all, but he was stunned by Ren's reactions to the child. She came to the hospital around noon on Christmas day and lavished attention on her granddaughter.

"Look how beautiful she is! What an angel! She is perfect in every way!"

Hatori and Kureno, exhausted from a near sleepless night in the hospital, looked about ready to fall over in exasperation with all of her gushing. She had shown no interest in the child over the course of the pregnancy (except that she have her way regarding the abortion and Akito's concealment), and now to bestow so much attention onto her once she was born (in front of Akito no less)? It was like dousing a fire with gasoline.

The pair of men looked to Akito for the tongue-lashing that was sure to follow Ren's sickening display of affection, only to see her staring listlessly out the window. The steel coldness of her emotionless eyes said more than words ever could about her feelings towards the baby.

"If it's so perfect," Akito muttered distantly, "why don't you raise it? I want nothing to do with it."

Hatori saw Kureno swallow uncomfortably; her words hitting a nerve within him before he looked down at the floor.

"Maybe I will," Ren replied, lightly brushing her finger over the baby's stomach, as if to tickle her.

The child's face scrunched up. She looked about ready to start screaming when Ren stopped and placed the baby against her shoulder, rubbing her blanketed back and cooing at her.

She still did not have a name. "Have you chosen a name for her yet, Akito-san?" Hatori asked, tearing his eyes away from the child and turning his gaze to his god.

"What use have _I_ in naming it?"

It was Hatori's turn to swallow the lump in his throat. He understood postpartum depression, but he knew this was much more than that. Now was not the time to bring it up though. She was still tired and weary from the surgery, but she also wasn't ready mentally and emotionally for anything.

"Well if you won't name her, I will!" Ren declared as she put the baby back in the incubator.

Hatori and Kureno both resisted the urge to reach for the baby and take her away from the woman's grasp because doing so would reveal the secret. For some reason, they did not want Ren to know that the child did not cause them to transform. Either she shared some sort of connection with the Juunishi curse, or she was immune to it, they didn't know. However if they reached for the child, Kureno would either reveal his secret of being free to this woman, or Hatori would reveal that the child was special. Neither one of them trusted Ren, nor did they want her to know the truth. So they kept their distance and watched in painful silence as the child crinkled her face whenever Ren touched her.

"We should call her Tenshi. Sohma Akitenshi."

"Fine, whatever," Akito replied distantly.

"We should use the same kanji as your name and your father's name," Ren replied, reaching for the paper on the counter in which to write the child's name on.

Hatori's eyes widened and he quickly glanced at Kureno. _Akitenshi_? She could not be serious! He watched as she began to write the kanji for _Sohma_ and then _Aki_, when Kureno cleared his throat.

"Tenshi is a bit… _presumptuous_, don't you think?"

She stopped midway through the writing of _Aki_ and regarded him coldly. "I think a better question would be which kanji to use for 'shi'? _Child_ of heaven? Or _messenger_ of heaven?"

The silence that enveloped the room was thick and stifling. Ren's abrasive glower made Kureno's face flush until he backed down and lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Whatever, if you can't decided now, then just leave it out. Who cares anyway?" Akito grumbled, her eyes still staring out the window.

Stricken by Akito's unexpected declaration, Ren clutched her chest dramatically and exclaimed, "I care! She's my granddaughter, and names are very important!"

_Now she suddenly cares,_ resonated throughout Hatori and Kureno's minds.

A nurse entered then to collect the document. "Just a minute, my dear," Ren told her as she quickly scratched in the last characters with the pen. She quickly handed it over to the nurse before anyone else could have a look at it. "There you are. I believe they are all in order."

The nurse smiled and left.

Hatori wanted to ask which character she had chosen for 'shi', if she chose one at all, but he couldn't get past the blockage in his throat. He'll get her medical information some day anyway when he gets his practising licence. For now, his exhaustion was overwhelming him.

He excused himself and Kureno so they could return to the Sohma Estate for some much needed rest. Both of them were up most of the night, having only caught a few zees in the quiet waiting area, and Hatori's head was beginning to ache beyond belief. Ren decided to go with them. Having completed what she intended to do (and then some by naming the baby), she saw no need to stay any longer, and it was much more convenient to snag a ride with Hatori than to call a driver from the estate.

The ride was quiet, and as soon as they arrived at the estate, Ren hurried inside, leaving Hatori and Kureno out in the cold.

Plagued by the events that took place last night, Hatori finally felt the pull to confide in Kureno with what he saw. He told Kureno about the strange man, their conversation together between the curls of cigarette smoke, and the man's sudden disappearance. While Kureno agreed that it seemed strange, he didn't have any thoughtful words to utter.

"Maybe it's because my mental faculties are depleted, but it certainly does seem that something unusual took place. There are stranger things to happen in the world, and the Chinese zodiac that holds our family is perhaps just the tip of the iceberg," Kureno said as he brushed his russet hair from his tired eyes.

Hatori agreed, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the strange being had been some kind of spirit.

If that was the case, then what was his purpose?

…

Akito could barely touch the child without her screaming. The nurses tried to get her to breastfeed, but as soon as she touched Akito's bare skin, her face contorted in a most painful expression before letting out the loudest scream the nurses had ever heard come from someone so small. Akito already hated the child, and her infuriating shrieks only added to her distain, and caused severe migraines to wrack over her mind.

She clutched her head and ordered the nurses to remove the child.

_I didn't ask for this! I asked for an abortion! Now what am I going to do? The mere sight of her gives me a headache!_

Akito knew there was something _different_ about the child. She could feel it within her body. She felt drawn to the child, but whenever she looked upon her, her anger flared up; whenever she touched her, she screamed. And the contact of her skin on hers was like a spark of electricity.

_No doubt about it,_ Akito thought to herself bitterly in the silence that followed the exit of the nurses and the baby. _There's something not right about her._

…

Akito was alone most of the day, but Hatori returned in the evening after dinner to spend some time with her. Akito had already fallen asleep though, so he went to go check on the baby.

"She's been rather fussy today," the nurse told him when he arrived. "We had to bottle feed her a few times because she would cry and pull away from the breast whenever we tried to get her to breastfeed. None of us can figure out why, and she would stop crying within moments of us taking her away."

Hatori considered her words as she went to the baby's incubator. "Akiten… Akiten…" she murmured under her breath as she shifted through the papers detailing the baby's health. "She's due for another feeding soon."

Hatori moved closer to watch the baby sleeping in the incubator. The nurse took a digital thermometer and pressed it into the child's ear. Akiten's eyebrows drew together at the disturbance, but the nurse quickly pulled away. "Temperature is normal," she mumbled to herself, jotting the numbers down in Akiten's chart.

"May I feed her?" Hatori asked. He felt nervous for some reason, but he longed to hold the child in his arms again. The lure to her was unmistakeable.

"Certainly." The nurse picked up the baby and wrapped her in a blanket. "We think she prefers to be swaddled still, so best to do what she wants. She's the boss after all!" The nurse laughed lightly as she gently placed the baby in his arms. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll bring you a bottle."

He thanked her and sat down in the only chair that wasn't designated for the nurse. He studied the baby's face as he held her, waiting for the nurse to return. Wisps of delicate black hair framed her chubby red cheeks. He still couldn't believe it, couldn't get past the fact that God gave birth to a child. It seemed like just a few years ago, Akito was born. He remembered the immediate connection he felt with her, like she was his be-all and end-all. He remembered how proud her late father, Akira, was when she was born. How he lavished love on her… much like Ren did earlier that day.

Ren had traded places this time. No longer was she the one giving birth to someone special, who would be loved above all others, and ignoring the one who gave birth to said child. No, now she was the one generating the attention on the special child and ignoring her own daughter who gave birth to her. _How the tables have turned,_ he thought to himself as the nurse returned with a bottle of warm milk.

"You and your cousin must be closely related," she commented as she laid eyes on the baby tenderly in his arms. "The three of you all resemble each other handsomely."

"Yes, first cousins," he lied as he took the bottle from her.

"I thought so," she commented as she returned to her work.

Hatori gazed at the baby, watching her lips move in search of food and her black eyelashes flutter softly under her closed lids. Pain gripped his heart. Pain toward the father, who knew nothing about this small person he held in his arms. Pain, and worry, toward the child that suddenly meant so much to him now. What would become of her once she was released from the hospital?

Just as he was about to put the bottle to the baby's mouth, her face contorted as if to scream when the door burst open.

His heart clenched as Akiten began screaming at the noise and he looked up to see Akito stumble into the room with just her hospital gown on. Her face was pasty white and her eyes wild and fierce, burning with what could only be described as hellfire.

"Akito!" Hatori cried out and he pulled the shrieking child tightly to his chest.

Akito took an unsteady step toward him, reaching her right hand out while her left gripped the doorframe to hold herself steady. "Give it to me," she ordered in a low and dangerous tone.

"What's going on here?" The nurse came in from the adjacent room, looking confused, and fearful.

"_You stay out of this!_" Akito screeched, reaching for a bedpan and threw it at the nurse. The nurse cowered in fear, returning to the adjacent room and calling security.

"Akito, stop!" Hatori exclaimed, finding his strength as adrenaline began to course through his veins. He got to his feet, his arms holding the crying newborn protectively against him.

"Give it to me, Hatori!" Akito commanded, her voice high and shrill. She stepped closer to him, painstakingly slow, her hand reaching out. Her face contorted in pain, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. "It needs to be destroyed! I-I _have_ to destroy it! _It will ruin everything!_"

"What-What are you talking about?" Hatori demanded, stepping away from Akito, searching for a way out or around her. He knew he had to keep Akiten away from her. Akito wasn't stable. She was out of her mind and he didn't know what set her off.

"It can't exist! I can't… There'll be no need… _I have to destroy it!_" Akito cried out hysterically.

A sudden burst of energy against his chest knocked the wind out of him. He fell back, the child suddenly ripped from his arms.

But when he regained himself and looked up from the floor, he saw Akito lying unconscious just a few feet away, and the child hovering in the air above his head. Her blanket had fallen to the floor. She would have looked ominous if she did not appear to be fast asleep again and clothed in only a small white diaper.

_What happened?_

His ears were ringing, and as the ringing began to subside, he could hear the other premie babies in the room fussing from their incubators. But he heard something else outside the room that made him get to his feet quickly and pull the floating child to his chest—the sound of security guards thundering towards him.

He looked down at the baby, fear resonating through him, as he studied her face, her body, everywhere to make sure she was okay.

She opened her eyes and his breath caught in his throat.

Silver-grey orbs stared back at him, uncharacteristically for a baby, but he knew, saw in her eyes, that she would be the change.

And as the guards rushed in, amidst the squalling of the babies, Hatori felt an unusual sense of calm fill him from his hands and up to chest. Exhaling as he held her against his chest, supporting her head with his hand, he could feel the panic and distress melt away and disappear.

She sighed.

He quickly pulled himself together as the security guards picked Akito up off the floor and barraging him with questions. Hatori calmly answered them all as he followed them down the hall, like taking a prisoner down the dungeon, and returning Akito to her room. He answered every question automatically, although through a blur, the words "psychologically distressed" and "postpartum depression" resonating through his mind like an echo of a dream.

And he saw, as if stepping out of his body and surveying the scene above, the depth of God's anguish. She'd been let down, abandoned in her attempt to (in her mind) make things right.

And the child in his arms would be the key, the answer to it all.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** Wow. Final instalment is short, but powerful (I think). Kanji details on Akito's and Akiten(shi)'s names will be at the end of the Epilogue so as to not distract you from the flow of the story.

Anyway, onto the Epilogue…


	7. Epilogue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** See A/N at the end of the chapter for kanji details. (I don't want to spoil anything here or distract you from reading the story, so I'll shut up now, lol) Enjoy!

_**Kami no Kodomo  
**_**Child of God**

**- Epilogue -**

It was hardly fair. It had been decided against her will that greater things would come from the child.

Akito was just another cog in the machine.

She was never meant to be "the one loved by all". Just like her mother said: _they would all leave her._

And she lashed out in anger and despair at her beloved Juunishi, for they had all turned their backs on her. One by one, as the years progressed, they all sought solace in someone else. Someone _outside_ of their bond. Someone named _Honda Tohru_.

She made sure that _that little wrench _paid dearly as well. The cat was put in his place and the outsider was made an example of. Although the details of her disappearance was never spoken about, everyone knew that her memory had been wiped and she was thrust out of the Sohma lives _forever_.

And she carried on in this manner for years; her rage grew more spiteful, her words more hurtful, her actions more painful. They would all suffer along with her; suffer in their hearts, because they all would leave her if they knew.

_She hated them all._

The child was forced into seclusion so that the Juunishi would never know of her existence, and never love her above their God.

Because that's what Akito feared most. And she couldn't have it, couldn't bear it, _couldn't risk it_.

The child had to disappear. She couldn't exist because if she did…

Akito's soul cried out in agony into the darkness that surrounded and sustained her;_ There would be no need for me!_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ** END! Well, the end of the prequel anyway. Follow Akiten's story in "ShugoTenshi" (found on my page) and how the Sohma family will react when they discover that not only was God a _woman_, but that she had a _daughter_ with the dog (how scandalous!). How will Shigure take on his role as "father" to this "child that wasn't supposed to exist"? And how will this girl with unmistakable gifts handle her role as the New God?

.

Okay, brace yourselves… The kanji for 'Akitenshi". When I first started writing about Akiten (in "ShugoTenshi" in 2005) I had no idea what kanji was used in Akito's name, but I wanted to use 'aki' from 'Akito' plus 'tenshi' for 'angel' (Akiten for short), thus the title "ShugoTenshi" (Guardian Angel). At the time, I thought 'aki' meant "autumn" and then when I returned to writing "ShugoTenshi" in May 2013, I did my research, found the kanji for Akito's name, and gasped (literally).

Aki = from the verb "akitaru' means "to be satisfied"

To = means "person".

Therefore, Akito = "person to satisfy" or "person to be satisfied" (Holy sh!t right?)

So then Akiten = "aki" (to be satisfied) + "ten" (heaven) = "heaven to satisfy"

Shi could be read using the character for "child" or "messenger"

Thus "ten" (heaven) + "shi" (child) = "child of heaven" (aka the Emperor/Empress aka GOD!)

Or "ten" (heaven) + "shi "(messenger) = "messenger of heaven" (aka angel, short for "tenheishi" or sky soldier)

Therefore, Akitenshi = "child of heaven to satisfy" (Emperor/Empress to satisfy) or "messenger of heaven to satisfy" (angel to satisfy) – depending on which kanji is used for "shi"

Ultimately, Akiten's purpose was to strengthen and renew the Juunishi bond. Therefore, her purpose was to serve God. To find out _**eight years later**_ that the name I had chosen (aka created) for my original character _literally spelled out_ what her purpose/destiny was … was jaw dropping. Seriously.

THAT'S why the name "Akitenshi" was such a shock to Hatori and Kureno (as it was for me) because they knew she was special.


End file.
